Can we hear a collective “namaste” for National Yoga Month? September was designated as National Yoga Month through the Department of Health and Human Services in 2008. Yoga is an ancient practice which studies show does everything from fighting anxiety and depression, to reducing inflammation in the body. Since September 12th is also National Mindfulness Day, we present the following yoga and mindfulness titles for your health and relaxation:
Beloved guru Ram Dass tells the story of his spiritual awakening and gives you the tools to take control of your life in this “counterculture bible” (The New York Times) featuring powerful guidance on yoga, meditation, and finding your true self.
This deep and simple volume brings together some of Thich Nhat Hanh’s most insightful teachings to inspire our daily mindfulness practice. Through 365 short reflections on common obstacles and opportunities, Peace Is This Moment encourages us to engage more skillfully with life on every level. Presented in an accessible, page-a-day format, this book is a perfect companion for experienced and new practitioners.
A Walk in the Wood: Meditations on Mindfulness with a Bear Named Pooh offers life lessons grounded in the simple act of slowing down, observing what is around us, and being present in our lives moment by moment. The benefits of mindfulness are well recognized: greater peace of mind, less stress, and the opportunity to work through and transform thoughts, memories, and worries. It also fosters equanimity, helping us accept the changes and challenges life brings.
Reach your highest potential and a deeper understanding of self with Deepak Chopra’s groundbreaking guide to the philosophy and practice of Yoga. With new insights on social and emotional intelligence, the power of attention, body awareness, breathing, wholeness, and transcendence, and with dozens of specially commissioned illustrations of yoga poses (accessible for all skill levels, from beginner to enthusiast), Living in the Light provides the ultimate guide to your exciting, bright, and enlightening future.
Lakshmi Voelker’s Chair Yoga™ method upends the myth that yoga is only for the flexible, strong, balanced, thin, and conventionally able-bodied. Whether you need or want chair support, or you’d like to get in some yoga practice while you sit at your work desk, Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga offers 40 active and restorative poses, illustrated with 250 photos, along with breathing techniques and meditation practices—all adapted so that you don’t have to leave your chair.
In the more than fifty years since its original publication, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind has become one of the great modern spiritual classics, much beloved, much reread, and much recommended as the best first book to read on Zen. Suzuki Roshi presents the basics–from the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nonduality–in a way that is not only remarkably clear, but that also resonates with the joy of insight from the first to the last page.
Light on Yoga provides complete descriptions and illustrations of yoga positions and breathing exercises, along with explanations of the main philosophies of yoga. Iyengar’s style and teachings emphasize precision and alignment, planned sequencing, timing, and the use of props.
Science of Yoga is a riveting read, and reveals how your blood flow, respiration, muscles and joints work below the surface of each yoga pose, whilst teaching you to achieve technical excellence in your practice, from the comfort of your own home.
Pema Chödrön, beloved Buddhist nun and best-selling author, offers this treasury of 108 short selections from her more than four decades of study and writings. Here she presents teachings on breaking free of destructive patterns; developing patience, kindness, and joy amid our everyday struggles; becoming fearless; and unlocking our natural warmth, intelligence, and goodness. Designed for on-the-go inspiration, this is a perfect guide to Buddhist principles and the foundations of meditation and mindfulness.
This classic resource covers fundamental topics of yoga history and philosophy, as well as each of the 11 major styles of contemporary yoga. There is also practical advice for every stage of the teaching process, including tools for teaching 108 yoga poses (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation. Developed to meet 100% of the teacher training curriculum standards set by Yoga Alliance, the world’s leading registry and accreditation source for yoga teachers and schools, Teaching Yoga is ideal for use as a core textbook in yoga teacher training programs.
A WORLD OF YOGA: 700 ASANAS FOR MINDFULNESS AND WELL-BEING by Leo Lourdes, Yogasphere Global
One of the great teachers has created this extraordinary celebration of yoga. There will never be a more beautiful, immersive book on yoga. Hundreds of exquisitely photographed asanas, mudras, affirmations, yantras, mandalas, reflections, intentions, sequences, and techniques—many created for this book—are combined with poses shot on location around the world, from remote beaches to urban enclaves.
Authentic, restorative, and holistic, How to Fall in Love with Yoga is a stroll through the world of yoga, where Sarvesh Shashi, the author, encourages readers to experience the different facets of the practice. Through four key goals and accompanying poses and flows, the author does a deep dive into the basics of the practice. It is contemplative and inclusive, peppered, on occasion, with personal notes and experiences.
For more on these and related titles visit the collection: Yoga and Mindfulness
